How I Became an Old Korean Man

One day during school I was working at my desk, studying Korean, when a student came into the office dressed in a hanbok.  A hanbok is traditional Korean clothing.  I knew that the third year students, who are done with their big test, have been doing little things like etiquette classes during school so to see a student walking around in a hanbok wasn't that unusual.  It basically just meant that they were learning something about ancient Korean culture.

The student who came in spoke to one teacher, Angry Bird 2, and to the cute Chinese teacher and Angry Bird 2 said my name.  I looked up, smiled, and waited until I figured out what they were talking about.  Angry Bird 2 was gesturing at me and the student finally came over and asked me to come with him.  He, I, and the cute Chinese teacher all walked outside behind the school.  When I asked what we were doing he said, "Korean culture".  I said that everything every day is Korean culture to me so that wasn't very descriptive.  The student did not explain further.

We walked into a low building and took off our slippers.  I then walked through a sliding door and saw roughly 30 Korean high school boys and girls in hanboks with one older Korean woman in a hanbok standing in the room.  Everyone ooohed and ahhhed at my presence and then the older woman (who I call "The Director") escorted me to a back room, took my coat, and put a men's hanbok on me along with a gigantic hat.  It looked like this.

Accurate except mine was light blue, I was wearing regular clothing underneath, and I smiled as I wore mine.

The Director took me back into the main room, the children laughed, and I was told to sit in a desk at the front while all of the kids sat on the floor in front of me.  I read something in Korean (a big accomplishment for me but since I sound like a kindergartner when I read I'm sure it was painful for everyone else to listen to) and the students bowed to me.  A really big, formal bow.  Then I read something else in Korean and put hats on all of the kids.  I gave them a blessing (in English this time), they applauded, and then we all sat in a circle together.

In the circle we had a traditional tea ceremony.  The Director said things, the students and I repeated it, and we poured and drank tea as per her instructions.  We also ate these delicious rice cake things with honey in them that might be the best traditional Korean snack that I've had.  

After the tea ceremony we wrote down our thoughts and feelings.  Then we had to dance in the circle.  I thought we were going to dance to traditional Korean music but this lady put on Kpop!  So I danced with the cute Chinese teacher, then students danced together, then the original boy who came to get me and another girl (each of them had been dressed up as a king and queen respectively) danced in the circle.  Then we all held hands and danced around in a circle together.  Finally we took a group photo, removed our hanboks, and returned to school.  

The entire time this was happening I kept asking students and the cute Chinese teacher what we were doing and I never really got a completely straight answer.  But after the fact I learned that we were participating in a traditional Korean coming of age ceremony.  The students were actually doing the ceremony, they were learning about it and doing it, and someone had to play the role of Old Korean teacher.  That was me.  The whole thing kind of reminded me of when Iowa schoolchildren go to a one room schoolhouse for a day.  It's just a way to learn about past culture.  

Unfortunately, I had no idea this was going to happen and I didn't get any photos of it.  I asked some of the moms there to email me the photos and they said they would but I haven't gotten anything yet.  If I do I will be sure to post them.